Freshman Brandon Burris came off the bench to drive in the game-tying run in the sixth inning and came around to score another run later in the frame to help lift the Mountaineers to a series-clinching 9-7 win.

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - Despite a late effort by the Bulldogs,
the Mountaineers held on to win the series, as Appalachian State University
baseball defeated Southern Conference opponent Samford, 9-7, at Joe Lee Griffin
Field on Sunday.

With the win, Appalachian (36-12, 20-7 SoCon) retained its
top standing in the SoCon standings, a full game ahead of second-place College
of Charleston. With one weekend remaining in conference play, the Mountaineers' magic number to clinch their first SoCon championship since 1987 stands at two, meaning that any combination of two ASU wins (at Western Carolina) and/or Charleston losses (at UNC Greensboro) will give the Apps no less than a share of the league title. Third-place Samford (33-19, 19-11 SoCon) was eliminated from SoCon title contention with the loss.

For the third straight game, the Mountaineers posted the first
runs. Junior Tyler Tewell led off the second inning with a walk before senior
Jeremy Dowdy let loose on his third home run of the season, clearing the
left-center wall to put Appalachian on the scoreboard, 2-0.

In the bottom of the same inning, Samford cut the deficit
with a lead-off walk followed by an RBI-single by Christian Durdaller that caught
the left-field foul line to make it a 2-1 ball game. Later, Samford tried to score
another on a single to right field, but a successful relay and putout by Dowdy
protected the lead.

ASU starter Rob Marcello navigated four innings with only
four hits before Samford gained momentum in the fifth. The Bulldogs tallied
five hits and capitalized on a Mountaineer error to score three runs and take a
3-4 advantage. Marcello would finish the day with 4.2 innings pitched, four
runs (all earned), five walks, two strikeouts and no decision.

With rain beginning to fall, Appalachian responded in the
top of the sixth inning. Kassouf led off with a double, while Tewell and
freshman Brandon Burris notched hits to score the tying run-Burris earning the
RBI. Preston Troutman reached on a dropped sac-fly, and sophomore Noah Holmes
brought two more to the plate on a two-RBI single, putting Appalachian back on
top, 7-4.

In the eighth, Appalachian plated two more runs as Troutman
walked, while Crespo and Zupcic each picked up RBI singles to bump the ASU
margin to 9-4.

The bottom of the eighth saw the Mountaineers struggling to pitch
strikes. After two hit batters and four walks, Samford brought three batters to
the dish, cutting the gap to 9-7. In the end, junior Tyler Moore was able to
force a Bulldog double play to escape the trouble.

In the ninth, Samford led off to put the tying run aboard on
back-to-back hits, but Moore's work forced another double play to close the
door on Appalachian's 9-7 victory.

Despite yielding a pair of runs in the eighth, freshman reliever
Jamie Nunn (5-0) earned the win and Moore earned his first save of the year for
his efforts. Moore totaled 1.2 scoreless innings with two hits and a strikeout.

The Samford battery had a rough game, as starter Kyle
Putkonen navigated 3.0 innings with three runs (all earned) on five hits, a
walk and one strikeout. Reliever Joseph Burns (3-1) got through nearly two
scoreless innings before allowing the decisive four runs (three earned) on four
hits, a walk and two strikeouts.

Appalachian State returns home to Boone for its final home
game of the season on Tuesday. The Apps host non-conference opponent
Gardner-Webb for a single game beginning at 6 p.m. Appalachian rounds out its
regular season next weekend at Western Carolina with a three-game SoCon series
starting Thursday at 5 p.m.

NOTES: Crespo recorded a hit to lead off each of the three
games of the series (double, single, single) ... Appalachian's 2012 squad now has
the third most wins in program history (36) ... the team also has its fourth-most
steals (90) and saves (13) ... following the weekend, Crespo moves to third on
the ASU season stolen bases list (30), trailing his 2010 mark of 31 swiped bags
... Seth Grant moved to ninth on career starts list (37) following his start in the second game of Saturday's doubleheader ... ASU's four double
plays are its most in SoCon play this season; the Apps had five against Duke on
March 13 ... Moore's save is the first this season for any pitcher other than
Nathan Hyatt ... Nunn became the third ASU pitcher in as many games to hit
multiple batters (2) in the same game; the previous ASU high prior to the
weekend was one.